Just My Type
by GleekOut91
Summary: Quinn discovers that her girlfriend has Type 1 diabetes. A series of one shots following Quinn and Rachel's lives together as they learn to cope with the condition as a couple, and the challenges they face along the way.


Quinn walked down the hallway of William McKinley, the pleats of her skirt swaying with every step. She didn't miss the way boys would leer at her, following her movements with. She didn't miss the way the other cheerleaders would look at her with a mix of envy and fear, some even with blatant jealousy. She didn't miss any of this, but she also didn't pay attention to it. While her eyes were looking they weren't really seeing, because her mind was too busy paying attention to the long tanned defined legs that were stretching towards the lockers just down the hall.

That sight caused the edges of Quinn's lips to quirk up into a smile. She nodded her head in hello as she passed by some of her fellow glee club members but didn't stop to chat, then scowled at some freshman Cheerio's who threw judgemental looks her way, the HBIC glare putting them firmly in their place as they quickly passed her by. Santana and Brittany came walking towards her from down the hall, pinkies firmly linked. The darker of the pair glanced over her shoulder and smirked when she saw where her captain was headed and as the pair began to pass by Quinn, Santana grinned.

"It's looking like a fine morning Q," she quipped and Quinn chuckled. "Yes it is," she replied and kept walking. When she finally reached her destination she gently wrapped strong arms around a slender waist and pressed a kiss against a soft cheek. "Morning beautiful," she whispered quietly, the smile on her face growing as when she felt a pair of hands coming to rest on her forearms. "Hey you," came the reply as Rachel turned around in the blondes hold and lifting her arms to wrap around her girlfriends neck and leaned up on her tip toes to press against on strawberry flavoured lips.

After a couple more pecks on the lips the girls separated and Quinn leaned sideways against the locker, watching as her girlfriend pulled whatever book she needed for her next class. Once she had the appropriate things she needed she handed them to Quinn and then brunette reached into her locker and pulled out a water bottle, removed the cap and began chugging down as much as she could. Quinn watched with an amused expression on her face. "Geez Rach, slow down. I'm not gonna take it from you," she joked and Rachel blushed from the comment, pulling the bottle away from her lips and putting the cap back on then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Sorry, I'm just really thirsty. I was practicing my solo number for Nationals in the auditorium since Mr. Schue is adamant we have booty camp to get everyone in shape after school when we should be rehearsing our set list," Rachel whined. She really didn't like it when their glee club coach forced everyone to participate in group dance rehearsals when only a handful were really in desperate need of the extra help. Not that she wasn't all for teamwork, but Rachel found she could better utilize her talents and time elsewhere. Quinn was inclined to agreed.

The only reason she was more receptive to the extra dance training was because that was her greatest skill. Sure she could sing, but not like Rachel, or Santana or Mercedes. Hell, even Tina. She preferred to dedicate time to her strengths and for Quinn that was and always would be dance. Anyways, she figured if she showed up then hopefully she could help Mike and Brittany and get the other less fortunate members up to scratch at a faster rate. Finn, Sam and Puck were less likely to goof off if she had her death glare on. Just then, the bell rang and Rachel grabbed her books from her girlfriend.

"I gotta go. I'll see you at lunch?" she asked as she closed her locker door. Quinn smiled and pulled her back in for another peck. "You know it," she smiled against soft lips and then sent Rachel on her way with a quick playful smack to the small brunette's backside. As Rachel walked away Quinn quite the eye of two football jock who were sniggering as the brunette walked past but before they could say anything, Quinn pressed a hand to both their chests and pressed them up against the lockers.

"You see the girl you were both just joking about," she said in a low dangerous voice. The two sophomores nodded their heads. "She's with me. If I hear of you or any of your football meathead buddies doing anything to hurt or upset her, I will make your life a living hell and trust me I can do it. One conversation with Coach Beist and Coach Sylvester and you boys will be digging for your balls in the football field for the next two years. Do you understand me?" she said. The boys nodded but it didn't satisfy Quinn. "I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" she shouted, catching the attention of some students walking past. Finally the heavier of the two boys squeaked, "Yes!".

"Good, now get out of my sight," she ordered and with that they left, quickly making their way out of sight of the school HBIC. Exhaling slowly to gather her composure, Quinn made her way to class, counting down the minutes until lunch when she could hang out with her friends and girlfriend. Luckily she had English and Ms. Holliday was subbing so she didn't have to worry too much about actually paying attention, she could just sit back and watch the show while Santana sat next to her and made inappropriate comments for the entire class.

As lunch rolled around Quinn and Santana were the last of their group to arrive as their class had been on the other side of the school. Quickly grabbing their lunch trays they made their way down the line, paid the lunch lady and sought out their usual table. Upon reaching it Quinn frowned when she noticed Rachel wasn't present. Turning to Tina who was sitting to her left she gently nudged her arm to get her attention. "Where's Rachel?" she asked as she opened her can of Diet Coke and took a sip. Tina swallowed her food and gestured over her shoulder in the general area of the choir room.

"Mr. Schue approached her during History class saying something about wanting her to look over possibly changing the solo number. She's gone to grab the sheet music so she can practice in case he decides to stick with the change." Quinn looked positively unimpressed but thanked her for filling her on. _What the hell is Mr. Schue thinking pulling this crap now. Rachel's been working her ass off perfecting the original solo. What's he trying to do stress her into submission so he feels like he's more in control of the club? Jackass_, she thought as she sat there picking at her chicken salad when something clicked in her head.

"Did Rachel have lunch before she left?" she asked and Tina shook her head. "No, but she said she has a free period right after lunch so she said she would grab something then," she replied hoping to sate Quinn's worry. It seemed to work a little, at least Rachel had time to grab something if she didn't make it back in time. With that in mind, and some vocal encouragement from her stomach, she began tucking into her own lunch and finally settled into the idle conversation going on around her.

After lunch, Quinn didn't have time to check in on her girlfriend, so she buried herself in her schoolwork to occupy her mind. By the end of the day, she quickly made her way to her locker and grabbed her spare clothes to change. Upon entering the locker room she found Santana, Brittany, Mercedes and Tina already there and when her eyes finally fell on her girlfriend for the first time in what felt like forever, she beamed and instantly made her way over to her, dropping down on the bench next to her.

"Hi," Rachel yawned, her hand covering her mouth. Quinn snorted as she pulled her sweatpants up under her Cheerio skirt and then pushed the skirt down. "Wow, I haven't even started a conversation with you yet and you're already bored with me, nice." Rachel rolled her eyes and grinned then picked up her water bottle and took a few sips, which were more like chugs. "Sorry. This day has just taken it out of me. You ready to go?" she asked as she stood up, a little unsteadily at first and then reached out a hand for a now fully changed Quinn. "Let's go," the blonde said with a nod of her head as she laced her fingers with her girlfriends.

Mr. Schue bounded on stage of the auditorium where all the New Directioners were stretching out their arms and legs, ready to get down to business. They pretty much had the choreography down from the last couple of times they had done this, but they still had to work on getting the weaker dancers up to par and to get the entire group in sync with one another. Walking over to the piano, Will placed his iPod into the docking station and clicked the song they would be dancing to, the picked up the little flat remote control and stuck it in his pocket.

"Okay guys, everybody pick a spot, we'll take it from the top. Mike, Brittany, you guys are up front with me," he said as he waited for everyone to finish their stretches. The glee members all spread out, Quinn playfully dragging Rachel over to the left side of the stage and positioning her right next to her so they could chat and have a laugh at Sam's attempts at doing the body roll and at Finn's inability to dance without looking like he urgently needed the bathroom. Just as they were about to begin Emma Pillsbury came rushing in with.

"Sorry I'm late," she apologised, face flushed from rushing across the school. Will waved off her apologies. "It's fine. Guys, Emma is gonna be watching you to make sure you're all moving in time with one another. If we're gonna win at Nationals we need absolute precision." A few unenthusiastic head nods followed, everybody fully aware that it was all just an excuse for Will to have Emma close by. But they let him have it since the guidance counsellor made him so happy. Pulling the remote from his pocket he looked to his students. "Alright, let's do this."

An hour later the kids were getting tired and had taken a five minute break. Quinn, who was standing next to the piano, looked to her side and noticed that her girlfriend was sweating profusely. Which was unusual as Rachel kept an unusually strict fitness regime for a teenager. "Quinn could you pass me my water bottle?" Rachel asked as she wiped her brow with the back of her hand. Picking up the bottle, the blonde passed it over and watched on as the brunette almost completely emptied the contents without so much as taking a breath.

"Rach are you sure you're okay?" Quinn asked, beginning to worry that her girlfriend was feeling run down. It didn't help to ease her concerns that during rehearsals, Rachel had stumbled over her own feet several times and seemed frustrated with herself. The brunette wasn't her usual exuberant self and as the day wore on, she seemed to lose more and more of the bubbly energy she normally carried. When Will called for everyone to get back in position, the members all stood and moved back to where they had last been standing before the break.

Quinn walked across the stage and rooted herself to the spot, when she looked to her side, she noticed Rachel was still sitting on the piano bench rubbing at her brow. Eventually she the diva stood up, her hand holding the edge of the piano for balance and after taking what seemed like and endlee breath, she moved across the stage and took up her position next to her girlfriend, sending Quinn a small smile as if trying to make her feel like everything was okay, which only ended up unnerving the blonde even more. But she had no time to reply as Will and Emma came walking back onto stage from where they had been sitting in the front row of seats comparing notes on the practice.

"Alright guys from the top, let's do this, 5,6,7,8." Most of the New Directions glided through the steps with ease, the extra practice having helped to improve their precision, while the ones who had been struggling seemed to have improved greatly. It was all going well until Rachel seemed to confuse her steps and stumbled into Finn, gripping his forearms to steady herself after knocking the tall boy off his rhythm. Santana snorted and when she caught sight of the incident.

"Wow, you know Berry's bad when Finn has to rescue his feet from her," she remarked earning a scowl from Quinn and a telling off from Brittany, who was only doing it because she feared their captain would kill Santana with her bare hands. Quinn stepped closer to Rachel and wrapped a hand around her wrist, steadying the girl on her feet. "Rach, are you okay?" she asked quietly so as not to attract the attention of eavesdropping ears. The brunette just nodded at her girlfriend without looking at her, instead focusing on a spot on the floor.

"Yeah, yeah, I ju- I just need to uh, to get a drink," she stuttered as she freed her arm from the blondes grip and pushed off Finn as she made her way towards the side of the stage where everyone's gym bags were lined up. Picking up her bag, Rachel unzipped it and sat down at the piano bench. Quinn watched as her girlfriend searched through it looking for something that she could seem to find. She was about to go over and help her girlfriend in her frantic search when the brunette stood up, dumping the bag on the ground.

"Mr. Schue, may I be excused?" Rachel asked gripping the edge of the piano so tight her knuckles were turning white. Will looked up to his student and noted the time. "Rachel we just had a break, whatever it is it can wait till practice is over," he said turning back to Mike and Tina to discuss something related to the choreography. With shaky legs Rachel moved along the piano, never letting go of it. "Mr. Schue I really, I r-really need to be excused. I'll be f-five m-minutes tops," she said, her tone almost pleading with him which didn't go unnoticed by Quinn whose ears were tuned to hear the different emotions and tones in her girlfriends voice.

"Mr Schue, just let her go. It's not like she doesn't know the moves. She's the most prepared of any of us," Quinn argued, rolling her eyes when she heard the familiar jealous scoff of Mercedes. Will shook his head. "I said no. Prepared or not this is a team, we work together or not at all. Now everybody has had a break Rachel can wait until after practice just like everybody else. Understood?" she said, staring straight at Quinn who was gazing back about to challenge her glee coach when… _thud._

"RACH!" Quinn called out as she ran past her teammates to where Rachel had collapsed. Puck and Blaine who had been the closest to her were kneeling either side shaking her shoulder to wake her but to no avail. Quinn dropped to her knees and softly cradled her girlfriends head in her hands as she laid it down in her lap to rest it almost like a pillow. Will and Emma rushed over and immediately began checking Rachel over. "Her pulse is pretty fast, she's dehydrated," he said and this cause Quinn to look at him confused.

"What? She can't be she's been drinking water all day," she told him as her brain tried to figure out how the hell her girlfriend could possibly be dehydrated. Emma turned to Sam who was standing close by. "Get the nurse. Tell her a student has collapsed and that we think it could be dehydration," she said urgently. Sam looked to her, "Will the nurses station still be open? It's after hours" he pointed out. Will glanced up from his crouched down position to answer him. "The nurse stays on school grounds after hours if any after school activities are taking place. She'll be there, now go," he order and with that the blonde boy took off at a sprint.

"C'mon Rach," Quinn whispered as she pressed a kiss to her girlfriends forehead. Down the hall from the auditorium, Sam burst into the nurses office and found the middle aged woman sitting at her desk. "We need help. One of our teammates collapsed, we think she might be dehydrated," he said breathlessly. The nurse furrowed her brow as she stood up, walking to her medical bag and opening it, putting some supplies in it that she might need. "You're from the glee club right?" she asked figuring he must be since they were the only after school club on school grounds that day. Sam nodded his head and watched as the nurse retrieved some other things including a little black pouch and slipped into the bag before closing it up. "Lead the way," she said.

Inside the auditorium the New Directions were all standing around watching on worriedly while Will and Quinn kept watch over Rachel. The sound of the backstage door opening alerted them that help had arrived. "It's okay Rach, it's gonna be okay," Quinn whispered as Sam and the nurse appeared from behind the curtain. The woman knelt down next to Rachel and checked her pulse, then removing what looked like a stick from a popsicle, she opened the girls mouth and placed it on her tongue while flashing a light inside of it.

Removing the stick, she noticed that there was little saliva residue. Quinn frowned when she saw the nurse check Rachel's necklace and then check her wrist, glancing at the bracelet that usual rested there. Inspecting the medallion the nurse seemed to nod to herself. "She's diabetic, she needs glucagon. I'm correct in assuming this is Rachel Berry yes?" she asked as she reached into her medical bag and removed the black pouch. Quinn who was still reeling from discovering her girlfriend was diabetic could form an answer. Luckily Blaine was standing over her responded for her.

The nurse pricked Rachel's finger with a small needle device that she detached from the small monitor then swiped at the brunettes' finger to collect a sample, placing the test strip in the monitor for a blood sugar reading. In a matter of seconds it came up and after calculating in her head how much glucagon Rachel would need, the nurse picked up the pen, setting it to the right dosage before lifting the brunettes shirt around her midsection and giving her the injection.

"Her blood sugar level is dangerously low. The glucagon should do the job but a couple of minutes longer and she could have been in a diabetic coma," the nurse stated seriously as she packed everything away. Will rubbed at his forehead, feeling guilty for denying Rachel's request to be excused. Quinn on the other hand was still reeling from the news. How could she not have known her girlfriend was diabetic? How could none of them have known? More importantly, why didn't Rachel tell her? The nurse stood up and looked to will.

"She's gonna need to rest up for the glucagon to take effect. I suggest brining her to the nurse's station so I can keep an eye on her." Will simply nodded and looked to Puck who was still by Rachel's side. "Puck can you carry Rachel to the nurse station please," he asked and the mohawked by nodded as she gently crouched down and lifted the little diva up. Quinn followed immediately, not even bothering to ask permission and went with Puck and the nurse. The New Directions watched on silently wondering this meant and if it would have any effect on whether or not Rachel would be able to participate. After all, for many of them it was their last year.

Inside the nurses station Quinn sat next to a slightly dazed Rachel who was slowly coming around after getting the glucagon injection. She tried and failed not to look embarrassed about the whole thing, it wasn't exactly how she wanted to inform her girlfriend she was a diabetic. She had managed to hide her condition from her peers for years. The secret made easier by the fact that for most of her school years she was invisible to her fellow students, unless they were taunting her. Quinn squeezed the hand she had been holding, catching Rachel's attention.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked glancing at her girlfriend before glancing down at her lap, "Is it because you don't trust me after everything I've done. Because I thought we were passed that?" she asked, her eyes welling up with tears at the thought. Rachel quickly shook her head and squeezed back. "NO! It has nothing to do with that, I trust you completely," she said which seemed to register with Quinn as she lifted her head. "Then why?" the blonde asked, wanting to understand the reason for being kept in the dark. Rachel sighed.

"I just, I didn't want you to think I was a freak. It's not exactly normal for a person to stick needles in themselves every day, several times a day in fact." Rachel stammered, her own tears beginning to make their presence known. Quinn baulked at the statement and sat forward, brushing her girlfriends bangs out of her eyes and then cupping her cheek. "Rachel you are not a freak. Having diabetes doesn't make you any less of a person than any one of us in that choir room," Quinn argued, shifting from her seat and moving to sit next to her girlfriend on the bed who shook of the blondes statements.

"But it does. I have to carry this disease with me for the rest of my life. It's always going to be there. I have to check my levels several times a day, I have to keep a food diary, I have to watch what I eat. It's like I'm constantly fighting against myself to be able to have a normal life," Rachel whimpered and this broke Quinn's heart. Sure she'd read about the condition in health class, but she'd never really realised just how much work goes into controlling it. She couldn't help but sympathise with her girlfriend even if it was the last thing Rachel wanted.

"Rach listen to me. Having diabetes doesn't have to define you. Yes it's a part of you and it's always going to be there. But the only way it will ever control you, is if you let it," Quinn said, gazing directly into brown orbs to make sure Rachel could see that she meant every word. "You have gotten by in glee club without anyone knowing about this because you controlled it and you owned it. But now, now you have people who are gonna be there to help up, me especially. Whatever you need me to do, whether it's just to talk, or to give you a foot massage to make sure they're in tip top shape or to help you keep track of your diet. Whatever it is I'll do it, because that's how much I love you, diabetes or no diabetes."

Rachel sniffled at those words and wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck, clinging to her like a child. While she still felt weird having people know about her condition, at the same time she felt relieved that she didn't have to keep it a secret anymore. "I love you too," she whispered quietly against her girlfriends' ear and this brought a smile to Quinn's face as she hugged the brunette back just as tightly. After another few moments the girls pulled back from the hug, Rachel propped up against the pillows on the bed. Quinn laced her fingers with Rachel's and played with her hands.

"So, how long have you known you were diabetic?" Quinn asked as she got more comfortable on the bed, bringing her legs up and sitting Indian style. Rachel shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly and responded with, "Since I was five." Quinn's eyes almost bulged out of her head and then guilt sent in when she thought of all those sugary slushies she had ordered on Rachel when they were still enemies. She then remembered that Rachel didn't wear any diabetes identification jewellery. "Why don't you carry any ID with you? Isn't that like a necessity for diabetics?" she asked, genuinely curious. Rachel freed one of her hands and subconsciously toyed with her bare wrist.

"When I was younger I had a bracelet cause my dad's were afraid something might happen at the playground or at school. I stopped wearing them when I got older because they don't really make any that look remotely pretty or nice to wear," she explained then nodded her head towards where her gym bag was now laying. "I carry a diabetes ID card in my wallet 'cause it's less noticeable." Quinn tipped her head in understanding.

"Well we'll just have to fix that then," Quinn said with a tight lipped smile. Rachel eyed her strangely, wondering what she meant by that but at the moment was too exhausted to press the matter so she rested her head back against the pillows and closed her eyes. Quinn watched over her until she was ready to go home, silently pondering just what living what diabetes was really like and making a mental note to do some research that night so that she knew everything there was to know about the condition. Now that she was aware that Rachel was diabetic, she didn't want to have any more nasty surprises creep up on her.

That Saturday, Rachel was sitting on her bed checking her levels when the doorbell rang. Getting up and walking over to her window she peered outside and saw her girlfriends sleek black Audi S4 parked in the driveway. Exiting her room she skipped down the stairs and opened the front door smiling when her eyes landed on Quinn. "This is a nice surprise," she beamed as the blonde stepped inside wrapping an arm around Rachel's waist and leaning down for a kiss, her other arm holding a few items. When she pulled back, Quinn smiled down at Rachel and reached down her hand slipping it into Rachel's, as she held up her other hand offering the contents to her girlfriend.

"Some DVD's, mostly Nicholas Sparks finest works, some Kate Hudson classics, and, chocolate, perfectly suitable for someone watching their sugar levels," Quinn rushed out before Rachel could say anything. The brunette smiled and then blushed, basking in the thoughtfulness of her girlfriend. Leaning up on her tiptoes, she pressed her lips to Quinn's and gave her a sweet kiss. "Thank you," she whispered against them before planting herself back on her feet and leading them both down to the Oscar room downstairs where Hiram and Leroy had set up a large cinema system for movie nights.

Once she reached the couch, Quinn curled up on the couch, putting the DVD's and chocolate on the table in front of her while Rachel grabbed some drinks from the mini fridge. Picking up 'The Lucky One', Quinn popped it in the DVD system which was conveniently set up next to the couch for minimal effort and then picked up the remote from the table. By the time she had everything ready to go Rachel had joined her on the couch. Excepting the offered soft drink, she placed it down at her feet and turned to her girlfriend.

"I actually have one more thing for you," she said as she turned from a confused Rachel and reached into her coat pocket that was draped across the arm of the couch, and pulled out a small box. Turning back around, she handed the box to Rachel who smiled and shook her head. "You didn't have to get me anything Quinn," the diva said as she twisted the box around so that it was the right way around to be opened. Quinn just shrugged her shoulders and smiled back. "I know, but I wanted to."

Slowly opening the box Rachel gasped when she saw the contents inside. Staring back at her was a bracelet. The silver chain was woven together with double entwined purple tail chord. The bracelet linked together either side to hold a sterling silver pendant in the middle. Engraved on the front were the words _Diabetes Type 1_ and the official medical symbol. The bracelet was both beautiful and practical. Rachel had never seen any ID bracelets like this before and she held it up and marvelled at it.

"Quinn it's gorgeous. Where did you get it?" she asked, genuinely curious. Quinn reached out a hand and took a hold of the bracelet and unlatching the sturdy silver clasp and then placing it around her girlfriends' wrist and then latching the clasp. _Perfect fit_ she thought. "I had it made," she replied, smiling as Rachel admired her wrist. "I ordered the pendant and when it arrived I drove to that jewellery making store in Columbus and made the bracelet. You said you never wore your ID because there weren't any pretty ones. So I figured I'd make one good enough for a pretty girl like you," Quinn explained.

Rachel reached over and cupped Quinn's face in the palm of her hands and kissed her deeply and then hugged her. "I love it. Thank you," she sighed and Quinn held her tightly, not needing the thanks at all. Just knowing that her girlfriend liked the bracelet and was going to wear the ID was thanks enough. At least now she could be safe in the knowledge that if anything were to happen, then people would have a way to instantly acknowledge the problem. Once they separated, they sat back on the couch cuddled together and indulged in what Quinn had dubbed 'Rachel friendly chocolate', both carrying on as normal with this new knowledge they shared.


End file.
